02 September 2011

Andy Slaughter MP reports on local people's issues

More from Andy Slaughter MP this week:

I received over 200 letters and emails this week asking me to oppose both the Government’s ‘revised’ proposals for the NHS and the plans to limit access to advice on abortion. Both the Health Bill and the amendments on abortion are disingenuous. There is no real change to the plans to privatise and dismantle the NHS, and we will be campaigning in Hammersmith on this issue this weekend. And I think it is outrageous to imply that organisations like Marie Stopes cannot give impartial advice because they ‘profit’ from abortions. Accusing any medical practitioner of persuading patients to undergo procedures so they can make money is a new low in a dirty campaign.

I was able to wish many constituents Eid Mubarak! at the party called to mark the end of Ramadan in White City on Wednesday.

The British Safety Council in Hammersmith was my first proper employer 30 years ago, so it was a pleasure to visit them this week and see what a superb international organisation they have grown into in the intervening years, giving advice and assistance to thousands of companies in Britain and around the world.

Newham Council could rightfully boast of securing over 2,000 jobs for local unemployed people in the new Westfield development in Stratford this week. It reminded me of the abject failure of our council to do the same, despite Westfield agreeing to do this when Labour still ran the borough. At a meeting last year I asked Westfield how many staff they had recruited from White City itself. The answer: 13.

Another failure to tackle local areas of deprivation noted this week on the excellent W14 website this week. The legacy of Labour’s New Deal for North Fulham was supposed to be businesses and voluntary groups setting up to continue its work. Premises have been found – but in south Fulham, outside the New Deal Area, and are being used to relocate organisations the council has evicted from Hammersmith.

And farewell to Lifestyle plus. The discount card introduced doing my first term as a councillor 25 years ago to give affordable access to our swimming pools and leisure centres to people on low incomes. No longer to be offered in our brave new world.

MyOlympia have put forward a compromise solution to TfL which would see the tube service running every half hour on weekdays but travelling to Edgware Road rather than High St Ken. This ticks all the boxes including relieving congestion at Earl’s court and providing some relief on the Wimbledon line. Let’s hope all parties now support this.

Andy To contact Andy, e-mail him at andy@andyslaughter.com or call his office on 020 7610 1950